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Welcome to Am I Infected

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Greetings; Over the past year I have been tortured by the fear of hiv infection. I have read these threads endlessly but I cannot allay my fears. One year ago I had several nude lap dances from sex workers and as you have heard many times before I believe I got vaginal secretions on my arm. Their was no penetration, but the sex workers kissed me, held hands with me, and touched me all over in addition to the standard nude lap dance stuff. When I went home that night I found a big fluid spot on my shirt sleeve that may have been blood, and my arm had signs of a rash or a break out or pimples. That evening I masturbated without washing myself.

This appears to have been a bad night for me !!!

Since this event I have been plagued by many contact incidents ( or so it seems ). I was at a party and an intoxicated woman who I didn't know began groping me, and stuck her fingers in my eye while trying to rub my face (she could have had an open cut on her finger so this one really made me crazy). In addition, I have touched the fingers of someone with open paper cuts, and open sores, been yawned on, gotten spittle in my eye. possibly ingested mucous, and other things to numerous to count.

Please be patient with me, and affirm that the afore mentioned event and contact incedents cannot lead to infection...Thank You !!!

Nothing that you are worrying about was even remotely a risk for HIV transmission.

If you can't let go of this kind of thinking then perhaps as Rod has suggested it's time to get some professional help about it. Life is way to short to spend torturing yourself in this manner about non-risks. Really.

As with what ifs in general, your latest ones are just more to not concern yourself about because again there's not the remotest chance of HIV transmission in those ways. Zero risk. Period.

Now I am going to caution you about something related to this. Your mind just may continue to churn out these what iffy scenarios for you to scare yourself with. If that happens you can't keep coming back here with "just one more" of the same without quickly earning yourself a time out from the site. Just so you know...

I was stoped by a salesperson in the mall who wanted to demonstrate a product. She gave a manicure on my thumbnail with an abrasive polishing stick. I have since seen an article posted in the U.K. about possible hiv transmission via manicures. is this possible, I had some cuts around my cuticles, and a fresh small puncture wound on my thumb from a staple. Is infection possible ? Very concerned !

Just as with nicks at the barbershop, beauty parlor or tattoo shop, what you are worrying yourself about is absolutely not in anyway a risk for HIV transmission.

HIV is a fragile virus and is transmitted only in very specific ways that provide the setting it needs -- such as unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse.

There's no need for testing nor for further concern.

However, this epidemic is going to be around for a longtime to come, so you do need to become better informed. Read our lesson on Transmission. It covers all the basics. There's a link to it in the Welcome thread which opens this section.

Is it also safe to assume that I would not be at risk even if the abrasive polishing stick was tainted with a previous customers blood, (As this was not a professional shop but an unregulated sales kiosk).

I have merged your threads, please keep to this one from now on when asking questions, do not start anymore threads.

No risk, no need to test, I don't know what magazine you were reading but HIV is NOT transmitted via manicures, you really need to educate yourself on how HIV is and is not transmitted, and the best way to do that is to read our lessons here on the forum.

Although I may be redundant, I have another question regarding hiv exposure.

Went to visit the local Cosmetology School for a haircut thinking that they would be more vigilant and sanitary as a training facility. I was wrong! The stylist used scissors and electric clippers from her personal case ( did not spray or clean them). She nicked me with the scissors and held her finger on the nick to stop the blood. Researching my exposure only made things worse, as it appears there is a theoretical possibility. I have come to find that there has never been a documented case of transmission from a barber shop in (North America)! So it has happenend in other parts of the world? Why? Any possibility of infection?

Once again you are worrying needlessly. Nicks, cuts and other common events at the beauty parlor or a barbershop are absolutely not a risk for HIV transmission. There's never been a documented case of transmission in such a manner and you aren't going to make history by becoming the first.

I have finally been able to work out the majority of my misplaced fears of HIV infection; thanks to all of you! One issue seems to keep knawing at me though?

Is their a remote possibility that if after you have ejaculated and you get a trace of infected blood on or in your uretra is infection possible as your uretra is open and it has semen on it. For instance if you have ejaculated in you pants and still have semen on the tip of your penis and on your uretra and then you get fresh infected blood on you hand from an environmental surface and touch the head of your penis (which has your fresh semen on it) is there a remote chance of infection ?

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I worked a rummage sale today, when I went home I found dried blood on my hand( not my blood) . Prior to this discovery I rubbed my eyes many times due to allergies. Very concerned about possible infection. Should I be tested?

NO! And just because you had a red or reddish brown substance on your hand doesn't mean it was blood. The likelihood of it being blood are rather low, unless you stopped by on your way home to assist at a car accident or something. And don't even bother coming back here to explain why it HAD to be blood. It doesn't matter because even if it was, it didn't put you at risk for hiv infection no matter how many times you rubbed anything or anywhere on your body. Got it? Good.

Please seek some counseling to help you get to the bottom of your blood/hiv phobia. We cannot help you with that here. If you keep coming back with this NO RISK stuff, you'll be given a time out. Please consider yourself warned!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

GreetingsI have heard conflicting opinions about the probability, possability of hiv infection from a barbers clippers. Am I correct in assuming that if someone is cut by a barbers clippers that hiv transmission is not possible even if their was infected blood on the clipper from the last customer; because the virus would have become inactive even in that short period of time.

GreetingsI have heard conflicting opinions about the probability, possability of hiv infection from a barbers clippers. Am I correct in assuming that if someone is cut by a barbers clippers that hiv transmission is not possible even if their was infected blood on the clipper from the last customer; because the virus would have become inactive even in that short period of time.

I've merged your threads. Please follow the rule of the site and keep all of your entries in this same thread.

You are once again worrying needlessly. There has never been a case of transmission confirmed through any sort of barbershop doings and it's safe to say you won't make history by becoming the first. HIV is a fragile virus and is not transferred in environmental situations such as a barbershop. Period.